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Medicine vocabulary · Treatments and Procedures

Cannula

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˈkænjələ/nounCommon term

In medicine, cannula means: A thin plastic tube placed into a vein, usually in the hand or arm, so that fluids and drugs can be given directly into the blood.

In Turkish: kanül, damar yolu, branül

How it is used

UK doctors say 'put in a cannula' or 'cannulate'; US staff more often say 'an IV' or 'IV line'. Sizes are given by gauge and colour. Junior doctors are often asked to re-site cannulas that have stopped working or 'tissued'.

Example sentences

  1. Can you put a cannula in bed 6? She needs IV antibiotics.

  2. The cannula has tissued, so the drip isn't running.

Common collocations

  • insert a cannula
  • re-site a cannula
  • large-bore cannula
  • cannula site
  • intravenousGiven directly into a vein, usually through a thin plastic tube called a cannula, as with fluids, antibiotics or pain relief.
  • catheterA thin, flexible tube put into the body to drain fluid or give treatment, most often one passed into the bladder to drain urine.
  • blood transfusionThe giving of donated blood or blood products into a patient's vein, for example after heavy bleeding or for severe anemia.
  • injectionA way of giving a medicine or vaccine through a needle into the body, for example into a muscle, under the skin or into a vein.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Treatments and Procedures

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.